Feasibility Study for Implementation of Customs Related Provisions of the ECO’s Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA) 2015-2016

The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was established in 1985 to promote regional cooperation among its member states. The ECO has taken a number of initiatives to facilitate regional integration which include the establishment of international trade agreement called “Transit Transportation Framework Agreement” (TTFA) in 2006.

In the ECO region, the existence of some fragmented transport networks with weak interregional transport connections hinder economic, cultural and technical cooperation. TTFA promotes the ECO’s vision by developing modernized customs system, road and railway transport networks in the region with four objectives: (i) Facilitation of movement of goods and passengers, (ii) Ensuring the safety of goods and passengers and avoiding unnecessary delays during the transit traffic, (iii) Cooperation and coordination of the efforts to avoid the incidence of customs frauds and tax evasion, and (iv) Harmonizing necessary administrative affairs dealing with transit traffic.

IC net conducted a feasibility study on the customs operations in the ECO states namely, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The purpose of the study is to analyze the key provisions of the agreement and the current implementation status. The results of study also identified possible solutions to address any shortcomings. The deliverable of the study will help these countries to establish border crossing points for effective movement of goods, passengers, and transport units among ECO countries.